[jwparkerjr]

I can't for the life of me understand why we have not done more to punish Iran for its involvement in this war. What are we afraid of?

I know we can't launch an all-out war against them but gosh it seems like there would be measures we could take to mess with them and their ability to interject themselves into our efforts in Iraq.

Until we extract a price from them, and one they feel the pain of paying, they are going to go on doing whatever they can to mess with us.

To date they've paid absolutely no price for their three decades of poking us in the eye.

As far as they're concerned they can just go on doing whatever they want and think that we are somehow powerless to respond. No wonder they think of us a paper tigers.

[Wiggins]

It's not that we are afraid. This is not a united country. Especially on the war issue. We could launch an all out war with them and win if we wanted too. The trouble here is politics. Leftists and liberals who want to destroy our great nation. Nothing will happen to Iran or Syria unless the people here have it within them to fight. Right now not enough of them do.

[Seajay]

We are by no means a paper tiger or powerless

However, there are three main reasons why military action will not be taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran:

1) It will implode on its own in the near future. Military action will only unite them again. Better yet to let the middle class and students do it themselves.
2) We do not need a confrontation with the Ruskies now. The bear is now warming his frozen paws in the Persian Gulf.
3) Oil and Petrodollars.

This being said, the Israeli/US air option is on the table. This will, I fear, set us back with #1 above

[rahbert]

worries about the effects on the oil price and stock market,
not to mention on allies such as SA and Jordan.